The True Heart of the Beast
by The Big Lazy Dragon
Summary: A 'Sunnydale Werewolf' Follow-Up. A letter from fellow Garg fan/writer Denis De Plaen inspired this look at the true nature of werewolves.


The True Heart of the Beast

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

Concept by Donald E. Fleming II

With acknowledgements to Denis "Wyrmwolf" De Plaen

Disclaimer: Original Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vistas Studios. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and related characters and storylines are the property of Warner Bros. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff. All characters are being used without permission of their creators.

Recently, while going through feedback from various fans that have written concerning 'A Sunnydale Werewolf in Manhattan', I came across one from 'Wyrmwolf', a.k.a. Denis De Plaen, who asked about the True Heart of the Beast that apparently inhabits Oz. This Dark Core, as Denis called it, was brought out during the final ceremony to free Oz at least partially from his curse. Whether or not the ceremony was successful remains to be seen, given that it was interrupted by Cain when he shot Demona. (His original target was Buffy, but Elisa screwed up his shot when she jumped him and he hit Demona instead.) Oz did say that the change the following night felt different, so there remains hope.

Werewolves in the 'Buffy'-verse have not been explained as much as vampires have. In the show, vampires are demons that inhabit human 'hosts'. A great deal has been either discussed or speculated on concerning vampire origins. However, not much has been said about werewolves in general and Oz in particular. This causes werewolves to be one of the great mysteries on Buffy.

About the only things that are known:

They are primal in nature, meaning that while in werewolf form, they revert to a decidedly primitive and animalistic state. They go on pure instinct at this point, becoming predatory in nature. These are the only supernatural creatures on the show that appear to do this (the hyena spirits from the first season episode 'The Pack' notwithstanding). All other demons and demonic creatures show some manner of intelligence. It appears that this could be some form of throwback to mankind's own primitive beginnings.

The change only occurs during the full moon. Once again, this is a condition unique to the werewolf. Demons are demons twenty-fours hours a day, as are vampires. The werewolf does seem to have heightened senses the remainder of the month however. Most notable is his sense of smell (in the episode 'Lover's Walk', Oz was able to locate Willow and Xander by tracking her scent).

Werewolves do seem to be subject to certain mundane things, such as tranquilizers, which has been used on several occasions to subdue at least one. This seems to be one of the few things that link werewolves to demons and vampires (demons and vampires have been subdued and captured using tranquilizers and tazers on several occasions. Vampires also seem to be vulnerable to intoxicants.). Silver seems to be one of the few things that can kill a werewolf. It could be that it acts as some form of poison in the creature's bloodstream.

Given the nature of werewolves on the show, it is possible that there is some form of malevolent entity at work that causes the change from human to beast. In a way, this is similar to what happens with vampires, but as observed, it is more bestial in nature, probably due to mankind's own primitive nature. It also appears that this entity can be passed down from werewolf to victim and from parent to child (this has not been explored on the show, but has in other venues). Whether or not this entity can be excised without killing the host is not known, but it appears that it can be weakened to some extent. It is also possible that the change that comes over a werewolf is a natural process that stems from a primitive time when Man walked around on all fours, and that the entity is Mankind's own aggressive nature made manifest. If such is the case, then it is possible to cure the werewolf of his aggressiveness by eliminating that portion of his nature (i.e. the ritual performed by Demona, Angela and Tara that allowed Willow to strike at the Heart of the Beast). It is entirely possible that once that is accomplished, the werewolf could in fact do one of several things:

Control the change; for example, becoming a werewolf only when he or she wanted to.

Retain his or her intelligence during the change. This could go a long way in combating evil.

Suppress the change entirely, eliminating the need to be restrained three nights every month.

Should any of the above things happen to Oz during his stay in the Labyrinth, it could mean that the spell was successful, and mean the end of his self-imposed exile from Willow (at least as far as the fanfic goes). Further developments to follow.

Once again, I want to thank all of you who read the 'Sunnydale Werewolf' saga. Feedback is always welcome, and I look forward to hearing from you at e-mail.

Donald E. Fleming


End file.
